The subject matter disclosed herein relates to supplying power and, in particular, to providing graphical representations of portions of a power distribution network.
Many manners of power production exist. After the power has been produced, it needs to be distributed. A typical distribution network includes a production facility (feeder) and one or more branches. Each branch may include further branches.
In some instances, an operator of a power distribution network is provided with computer-generated representations (maps) of the power distribution network. These maps provide a graphical representation of some or all of the distribution network. In some of these maps, the user is allowed to select a branch of the network. After the branch is selected, analysis software can generate a graph representing the power factor or the voltage along that branch. Typically, a new graph is recreated if the user decides to view voltages or power factors along a different branch, and users can only view one specific branch per graph.
Utilizing multiple graphs destroys visualization continuity. Furthermore, utilizing graphs such as heat/temperature maps makes it more difficult for the human eye to distinguish small variations of a power distribution network parameter. In addition, it makes it difficult to locate ramifications of feeder changes in the individual branches. Further, the different displays often have different scales making interpretation harder.